Casket interior unit



- Dec. 20, 1960 G. c. HILLENBRAND 2,964,824

CASKET INTERIOR UNIT 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 11, 1957 Y INVENTOR;

ATTMA/EYS.

e. c. HILLENBRAND 2,954,824

CASKET INTERIOR UNIT Filed. Feb. 11, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 lllll'll 'INVENTOR. f 5 BY rme/veys.

Dec. 20, 1960 c, HlLLENBRAND 2,964,824

CASKET INTERIOR UNIT Filed Feb. 11, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent CASKET INTERIOR UNIT George C. Hillenbrand, Batesville, Ind., assignor to The Batesville Casket (30., Inc., Batesville, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Filed Feb. 11, 1957, Ser. No. 639,368

'12 Claims. (Cl. 27-19) This invention relates to burial caskets and particularly to an improved construction of interior units for the top sections of burial caskets. The interior unit of the present improvement is applicable to any type of casket top including those known in the trade as full couch caskets and cut-top caskets.

It has been customary in the past to upholster the interior of the tops of burial caskets for display purposes to provide a pleasing effect for the viewer. Ordinarily, caskets have a dome-type top and the interior of the top section is upholstered by padding covered with fabric, the upholstery being attached to a wooden frame which is positioned about the interior of the margin of the dome-shaped top section. In order to avoid the skilled hand-work and expense of materials of the conventional casket upholstering operation, it has been suggested in Patent No. 2,664,615 that a sheet material insert or interior unit be prefabricated then attached to the interior of the dome-shaped top section. This patent discloses a prefabricated interior unit constituted by corrugated paperboard, pasteboard or light sheet materials covered by an upholstering fabric which is adapted to provide a pleasing appearance. In general, these inserts, or interior units, have comprised a rectangular central panel surrounded by a frame constituted by four frame members, one on each side. Also, in general, it has been customary to bow the frame members inwardly to sirnutop sections to provide both greater strength and greater speed and ease of fabrication and assembly. Thus, copending applications, Serial No. 639,262, filed February 1-1, 1957, now Patent No. 2,867,030, for Burial Casket Construction, discloses a structural innovation in the fabrication of the casket tops whereby the conventional wooden frame is eliminated in favor of a sheet metal bracing channel which performs the co-function of providing ready means for attachment of a prefabricated interior unit and particularly the prefabricated interior unit of this invention.

The improved prefabricated insert or interior unit of this invention is an improvement over the interior unit of Patent No. 2,664,615 in that it can be much more rapidy fabricated with less material and with the requirement for less skill than the interior unit of the patent. Particularly, the unit of this invention does not require the stays for bowing the frame members of the patent and further, the unit of this invention may be snapped into the metal channel carried by the top 2,964,824 Patented Dec.,20, 1960 The invention will be better understood with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the interior of the casket top section with the interior unit fastened therein.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the unexposed section of the interior unit.

Figure 4 is a detailed sectional view of the channel of the top section and the margin of the interior unit prior to being snapped into place.

Figure 5 is a detailed sectional view of the elements of Figure 4 after the margin of the interior unit has been snapped into place.

Figure 6 is a detailed view of a corner of the interior unit.

Figure 7 is a front elevational view of a modified form of the interior unit.

Figure 8 is an end view of the unit shown in Figure 7.

Figure 9 is an enlarged fragmentary cross sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 7.

Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure 7 illustrating an additional modification.

Figure 11 is an end elevational view of the unit of Figure 10.

Figure 12 is a front elevational view of another form of the invention.

Figure 13 is an end view of the unit of Figure 12.

Referring to the embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 1-7 of the drawings, a sheet metal top section 1 is constituted by a dome-shaped body 2 and an inte riorly extending marginal flange 3 which occupies a horizontal position when the casket top is down. This marginal flange is braced and rigidified by channel members 4 which are spot welded or otherwise afiixed as at 5 to the inner faces of the marginal flange. This construction and its full utility is more fully described in copending application Serial No. 639,262, filed February 11, 1957, now Patent No. 2,867,030, for Burial Casket Construction.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, channel members '4 extend all the way around the margin of the casket to rigidify the top section of the casket but, from the point of view of this invention, the channel members need not necessarily impart rigidity to the top section structure and, in fact, need only be brackets for securing the margin of the interior unit in place in the casket top. In other words, these channel members provide recesses in which the margin of the interior unit of this invention may be inserted and attached to the casket top.

In the preferred construction of the channel unit, as disclosed in Figures 2, 4 and 5, the channel proper is formed by bending the metal of the channel members to providea U-shaped flaring channel 6 which is reinforced along its inner margin as at 7 by bending the inner margin of the sheet metal upon itself. Further, the channel members 4 are mounted outwardly on flange 3 so that the inner margin of flange 3 projects inwardly of theouter margin of the channel to provide detents 8.

The interior unit, or insert 9 of the invention is in v the vernacular of the industry, termed a snap-in dish? section instead of being tacked to a wooden frame can ried by the top section.

. is constituted by a rectangular center panel 10 and frame members 11, one on each side of the rectangular center panel. While. the center panel need not necessarily be rectangular, this construction is the simplest and the most economical from the point of view of time and materials;

The interior unit may be constituted by any desired combination of sheet materials which have appropriate relative rigidity and flexibility. As disclosed, the center panel is constituted by a backing of corrugated paperboard which is relatively rigid whereas frame members 11 have a backing of more flexible cardboard. In each case, however, the face of the backing sheeting is covered by a layer of backing cloth 12 and a layer or surface of facing cloth 13 which is of a nature to provide a pleasing appearance. As disclosed, the backing material of the center panel and frame members are covered by the cloth, then secured together by staples 14 or by stitching. In addition, the laminate is held together adjacent to the outer margins of frame members 4 by staples 15 or by stitching. As shown in Patent No. 2,664,615, the ornamental facing material extends into the joints between the center panel and the frame members and the joints between the frame members to simulate the appearance of upholstering. If desired or necessary, adhesive may be utilized to further the integrality and stability of the laminate structure of the center panel and the frame members.

As disclosed, the center panel is dish-shaped or concave and is provided with diagonal reinforcing elements 16, which may be strips of corrugated paperboard, and a central reinforcing element 17, which may be heavy kraft paper. These reinforcing elements are adhesively secured to the unexposed side of the center panel. Center panel 10 is semirigid in the instance shown to maintain the shallow concave shape. As will be apparent, this panel may be made of flexible material inasmuch as the stability of the unit as a whole is not dependent upon its being rigid.

The joints between the frame members are effected by a special configuration of the ends of the frame members. In order to better simulate genuine ,upholstering, the ends of frame members are arcuately configurated and provided with truncated conical attachment tabs 18. The corresponding tabs of adjacent frame members are secured together by staples 19 with the cloth layers of the laminates between them to simulate the mitered corners of upholstering.

The configuration of the corners or joints between the frame members tends to bow the frame members inwardly to further simulate the appearance of upholstering. However, if relatively flexible cardboard frame members are utilized, as is recommended, the bowing which the configuration of the corner joints tends to impose upon the frame members, does not extend over the full length of the frame members which, prior to insertion in the casket top, tend to bow inwardly as disclosed in Figure 3 by the dot-dash lines 20. Nevertheless, after insertion of the edges of the interior unit in channel members 6 of the casket top, a straight line configuration is imparted to the outer margins of the frame members so that the bow of the corner configuration is uniform over the full length of the frame members.

The construction of the interior unit of this invention is superior to the construction of the interior unit of Patent No. 2,664,615 regardless of the manner by which the interior unit is attached to the inside of the casket top because the construction dispenses with the use of stays for stabilizing the frame members. In other words, in the preferred construction of Patent No. 2,664,615, the frame members are relatively rigid and self-sustaining, whereas the frame members of this invention are relatively flexible and are held in the desired configuration only after the interior unit is placed in the casket top whereby the flanged joints stabilize the positions of the inner margins of the frame members and the attachment to the casket top stabilizes the positions of the outer margins of the frame members.

In the preferred construction of this invention, the outer margins of the frame-members are provided with locking tabs 21 which fit into the recesses constituted by channels 6. As disclosed, the marginal portions 22 of the frame members are bent into channels 6 and the locking tabs 21 are given a reverse bend so that they engage detent 8 as disclosed in Figures 2 and 5. Hence, the interior unit may be snapped into recesses about the inner margin of the casket top without the necessity for laborious or exacting hand operations. Also, as disclosed in copending application Serial No. 639,262, now Patent No. 2,867,030, and at the right hand side of Figure 2 herein, an ornamental plastic bead may be inserted in the recess to cover the joint between the interior unit and the inwardly projecting flange of the casket top. The use of this ornamental bead also constitutes additional insurance of the security of the joints between the units, although this insurance is not strictly necessary and is preferably omitted at the hinged side of the casket, as illustrated on the left hand side of Figure 2. In this case, the cardboard backing of the sidemember is inserted in the channel but the fabric of the laminate is permitted to drop into the body of the casket as indicated at 23.

The modifications of the invention which are illustrated in Figures 7-13 are representative of a number of different design configurations which may be made in casket interior units constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention. The interior unit of Figure 7 consists of two substantially planar end panels 24-24 having straight outer marginal edges 25 and arcuate inner edges 26. The interior unit includes one additional panel designated 27 and has two straight outer edges 2828 and two arcuate internal edges, the latter edges being joined to the arcuate edges 26 of the two end panels in the same way that the various parts of the embodiment of the invention of Figures l-6 are joined. This is illustrated in Figure 9 wherein flanged edges 29 and 30 respectively are turned inwardly from the meeting edges of the respective panels. Decorative material such as that shown generally at 31, covering the interior faces of the panels, extends into the flanged joint and the joint is secured by staples 32 which pass through flanges 29 and 30 and through thedecorative materialbetween them. As in the embodiment of Figures l-6, the joined flanged edges constitute reinforcing ribs which stabilize the dished assembly interiorly where the sheets are joined together. This leaves the four outer edges unsupported. However, when the locking tabs 21, shown at the four sides of the unit, are inserted into the locking channel members 6 of the casket top, the outer edges are stabilized and thus the complete assembly is stabilized. Prior to insertion, the inherent flexibility of the sheet material utilized in the construction of the unit causes the four edges to assume the warped or curved configuration illustrated in Figure 7. It is of significance to note that only two reinforcing ribs provided by the flanged joints between the sheets are required to stabilize the unit interiorly.

In Figure 10 another modification of the invention is shown, and in this instance three flexible sheets are employed as in the embodiment shown in Figure 7, these sheets being one designated 33 which extends along the upper edge as shown, a second one designated 34 which extends along the lower edge as shown, and a center sheet or panel 35 which extends from one end of the assembly to the other The .three sheets are joined along two arcuate lines 36 and 37 where the meeting edges are flanged as shown in Figure 9 to provide reinforcing ribs for stabilizing the assembly in the dished configuration illustrated. As shown, this assembly also has marginal locking tabs 21 by means of which the assembly may be attached to a frame within a casket top to stabilize the outer edges.

A third modification of the invention is shown in Figures l2 and 13. In this form the individual sheets com prising the unit are joined together along straight lines,

r i.e., the junctures of the panels are flanged along lines 38, 39, 40 and 41. The central portion of the unit which extends from one end to the other may be fabricated from corrugated paperboard in which the lines of the corrugations extend vertically. If this paper is used in place of flexible sheet material the vertical line 42 represents a fold line. If two individual panels are employed in place of the continuous central panel, the line 42 represents a meeting of flanged ends of the type disclosed previously. If desired, the panel 27 of the interior unit shown in Figure 7 may be made of corrugated paperboard material in which the lines of the corrugations extend horizontally so as to permit this panel to be bent into the curved configuration shown. Also, the same type of material may be used for center panel 35. In this instance the lines of corrugations may extend vertically.

, The interior units of Figures 10-13 are asymmetrical. This is done in order to achieve an appearance of depth or of perspective in the decorative interior unit. However, it will be appreciated that the fabricating techniques may be employed in constructions in which the various flanged ends constituting the reinforcing ribs are arranged symmetrically with respect to the frame by which the unit is secured in the casket. The modifications shown are intended to be representative only of many other decorative effects which may be obtained employing the fabricating techniques which are disclosed herein.

The advantages of the construction of the interior unit of this invention are that the interior unit is particularly adapted for quantity fabrication by unskilled labor. This fabrication involves a minimum of time and materials, yet the artistic decorative effect of the interior is not sacrificed and the pleasing appearance of upholstery (which has no functional value in a casket) is faithfully maintained. Thus, the sheet metal casket tops and the sheet material interior units may be independently fabricated by production line methods and the two prefabricated elements may be quickly and easily fitted together in final assembly by unskilled labor and without developing a bottle-neck in the production line.

Having described my invention I claim:

1. A casket interior unit adapted to be inserted into the top of a casket of the type which is dome-shaped and which has a flat flange extending around the edge thereof with a rigid channel coextensive with said flange, said casket interior unit comprising a plurality of sheets of flexible material, said sheets collectively forming a dished assembly, the meeting edges of the sheets within the assembly being flanged, means joining said flanged edges to provide ribs to stabilize the assembly interiorly of the outer marginal edges thereof, and a plurality of locking tabs at spaced intervals on the outer marginal edges of the assembly, said locking tabs adapted to be engaged into the rigid channel of the casket top to secure said assembly to the flange and thereby stabilize the outer marginal edges of the interior unit.

2. A casket interior unit adapted to be inserted in the top of a casket for ornamental purposes, said unit comprising a substantially rectangular center panel of corrugated paperboard, four pasteboard frame members attached to said center panel, one on each side thereof, said frame members being more flexible than said center panel, arcuate joints between the ends of the frame members, and locking tabs extending from the margin of each frame member, said locking tabs adapted to be secured permanent-1y in channels in the casket top to stabilize the positions of the outer margins of the relatively flexible frame members.

3. A prefabricated casket interior unit adapted to be installed in the top of a casket of the type having a rigid rectangular frame therein which is channel-shaped in cross section, said unit comprising a plurality of panels of flexible paperboard material, said panels configurated to form a dished assembly which is rectangular in outline to conform to the rectangular frame in the casket top, adjacent edges of the panels within the assembly being flanged, means joining said flanged edges to provide reinforcing ribs to stabilize the assembly interiorly, and the panels at the outer edges of the assembly having tabs thereon, said tabs adapted to be engaged into the channel-shaped frame to secure the assembly to the frame and thereby stabilize the assembly exteriorly.

4. A prefabricated casket interior unit adapted to be installed in the top of a casket of the type having a rigid marginal frame therein, said unit comprising a plurality of panels of flexible paperboard material, said panels configurated to form a dished assembly having an outline which conforms to the marginal frame of the casket top, adjacent edges of the panels within the assembly being flanged, means joining said flanged edges to provide reinforcing ribs to stabilize the assembly interiorly, and the panels at the outer edges of the assembly having means thereon adapted to be secured to the marginal frame of the casket top to hold the assembly within the top and to stabilize the assembly exteriorly.

5. A casket interior unit adapted to be installed in the top of a casket of the type having a rigid rectangular frame therein which is generally channel-shaped in cross section, said unit comprising three flexible panels each one of two of said panels having only two outer edges, one of which is straight and the other of which is convexly curved, the third panel having two straight edges and two concavely curved edges, said panels assembled to provide a dished assembly in which the convexly curved edges of the two panels are coextensive with the concavely curved edges of the third panel and in which the assembly has an outline which conforms to the rectangular frame of the casket top, the curved edges of all three panels being flanged, means securing said flanges to provide arcuate ribs to stabilize said assembly interiorly, and tabs on said outer edges of the panels of the assembly adapted to be engaged in said channel-shaped frame for securing said assembly to the casket top and thereby stabilizing the assembly exteriorly.

6. A casket interior unit as set forth in claim 5 in which said arcuate ribs extend the long way of the rectangular outline of the assembly.

7. A casket interior unit as set forth in claim 5 in which the arcuate ribs extend the short way of the rectangular outline of the assembly.

8. A prefabricated casket interior unit adapted to be installed in the top of a casket of the type having a rigid marginal frame therein which is channel-shaped in cross section, said unit comprising a plurality of panels of flexible paperboard material, said panels configurated to form a dish assembly having an outline which conforms to the marginal frame of said casket top, adjacent edges of the panels within the assembly being flanged, a sheet of decorative material covering the outer face of each panel in the assembly including the flanges thereon, means joining said flanged edges through the decorative sheet material to provide reinforcing ribs to stabilize the assembly interiorly and to simulate the appearance of upholstering, and the panels at the outer edges of the assembly having tabs thereon, said tabs adapted to be engaged in the channel-shaped marginal frame of the casket top to secure the assembly to the frame and thereby stabilize the assembly exteriorly.

9. A prefabricated casket interior unit adapted to be installed in the top of a casket of the type having a rigid rectangular fname therein, said unit comprising a rectangular center panel which is smaller than the rectangular frame of the casket, four frame members, each frame member constituted by a single thickness of flexible sheet material which is initially flat, each frame member having a flange at the inner edge thereof coextensive with an edge of said center panel, means securing the inner edges of the frame members to the outer edges of the panel, the ends of each of the frame members at the corners of the center panel being curved and having flanges thereon,

means securing the flanges of adjacent ends of the frame members together to impart bowed configurations to the end portions of the frame members, and the sheet material of the frame members being further characterized by tending to spring back toward the initial flat condition between the secured ends of the frame members but adapted to assume the bowed configuration of the secured ends thereof upon being fastened to the rectangular frame of the casket top, whereby the center panel may be sustained in recessed relation to said rectangular frame by the bowed frame members.

10. A prefabricated casket interior unit adapted to be installed in top of a casket of the type having a rigid rectangular frame therein, said unit comprising a center panel which is smaller than the rectangular frame of the casket, four frame members, each frame member constituted by a single thickness of flexible sheet material which is initially flat, the frame members having inner edges coextensive with the outer edges of said center panel, flanges at said inner edges, means securing the flanges of the frame members to the outer edges of the panel to provide a reinforcing rib extending around the perimeter of the center panel to stabilize said panel, the outer edge of each frame member being substantially longer than the inner edge thereof and the ends of each of the frame members being curved and having flanges thereon, means securing the flanges of adjacent ends of the frame members together to impart bowed configurations to the end portion of the frame members, the sheet material of the frame members being further characterized by tending to spring back toward the initial flat condition between the secured ends thereof but adapted to assume the bowed condition of the secured ends upon being fastened to the rectangular frame of the casket top, whereby the center panel may be sustained in recessed relation to said frame by the bowed frame members.

11. A prefabricated casket interior unit adapted to be installed in the top of a casket of the type having a rigid marginal frame therein, said unit comprising a center panel which is smaller than the marginal frame of the casket, a plurality of frame members surrounding the 'center panel to support it in recessed relation with respect to said marginal frame, each frame member of the plurality constituted by a flexible sheet material which is initially flat, means securing the inner edges of the frame members to the outer edges of the panel, the ends of the frame members being curved, means securing adjacent ends of the frame members together to impart transversely bowed configurations to the end portions of the frame members, the sheet material of the frame members being further characterized by tending to spring back toward the initial flat condition between secured ends thereof, this tendency to spring back toward the initial flat condition tensioning the frame members to impart rigidity to them between the secured ends thereof upon the fastening of their outer edges to the marginal frame of the casket top with the portions thereof between the secured end portions in the same bowed condition of said end portions.

12. The combination comprising a casket top having an inwardly turned marginal flange therein, a decorative insert having a central panel and flexible members of sheet material surrounding said central panel to constitute a frame for the panel, and means securing the outer edges of the frame to said marginal flange with the members thereof under tension to impart rigid transverse configuration to them and to sustain the center panel in fixed relation to said flange.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 290,996 Nierstheimer Dec. 25, 1883 2,664,615 Hillenbrand et a1. Jan. 5, 1954 2,867,030 Hillenbrand Jan. 6, 1959 

